Hotel by the Pier, Santa Monica, United States

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Redeveloping the gateway to downtown Santa Monica by The Jerde Partnership

Beautifully drawn, colourful images have been recently unveiled by The Jerde Partnership which illustrate preliminary designs for a new hotel development in the heart of Santa Monica, California. The current site is home to the Wyndham Hotel and the architects have aimed to create a design which will enhance the local community through introducing spaces in which new and more current attractions can be located.

The project is being led by David Rogers FAIA, Design Director at Jerde, who also the led the design project for the redevelopment of Santa Monica Place located nearby. With the success of the project, having become a popular destination for not only visitors but also the local community, the design principles put in place will be carried through to the design for Santa Monica Hotel.

Being a similar urban regeneration scheme and with the addition of a developed knowledge of the area, the architects have created a design which is divided into three buildings which have been formed so the impact of the tall block is minimal. The new Hotel by the Pier will contain not only the hotel, comprising of 211 rooms, but also 25 residential units within the complex. The top of each building has panoramic viewing deck which have been landscaped with water features and sky lounges which will allow visitors to fully experience the spectacular views along the coast, Los Angeles basin and Santa Monica Mountains.

Providing a new gateway into downtown Santa Monica, there has been a particular emphasis on the way the spaces provide opportunities for the public to utilise and integrate whilst accentuating all the existing and newly introduced services. The regeneration of the hotel is one part of the downtown area which is currently in the process of being improved through several schemes. These include the new Expo Light Rail, Tongva Park, Colorado Esplanade, The Village at Santa Monica, Santa Monica Place and plans for the potential modification to the Pier.

Unsurprisingly sustainability is at a very high level of priority, particularly due to the success of the nearby Santa Monica Place. The design has been developed so the unique location of the site, its shape and size have been particularly considered and as a result the existing is strengthened and new opportunities created. The sinuous shape of the blocks enable optimum views across the city where the shadows are few and the impact on surrounding neighbourhoods is minimal.

“With the Jerde office just a few minutes away, designing in Santa Monica is always extra special to us,” said David Rogers FAIA, Jerde Design Director. “We spent many years working on Santa Monica Place in order to deliver a place that the community could really enjoy. Similarly, this is an extraordinary opportunity to attract people, visitors and locals alike, to experience the beauty and excitement of this great location.”